Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there have been past initiatives that were tried by previous governments to enhance building in market communities that were being impacted by increased resource development. We find after a while, though, that those initiatives get adjusted to by the market and get incorporated. I speak specifically of past governments who instituted a program of giving $10,000 additional to potential purchasers so that they could afford their new homes. We found that any subsidy that we have like that soon gets swallowed up by the system and just drives up the prices in that area.

We feel that with the land development in non-tax-based communities, one of the things that is happening is because the smaller communities are on the outskirts of development, larger centres are being able to take advantage of that development where small communities aren't. It's still very expensive to develop any kind of a lot program. At one time in previous governments, there used to be programs for municipal governments to develop land areas in their communities. That was removed and tried to be incorporated into the system. It hasn't worked successfully. This is an avenue to try to bring some development into the smaller communities. Thank you.

Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think in reading this item it's apparent that this is a very modest initiative. It is something that would be funding developers to do very technical things -- geotechnical investigations, legal and engineering surveys -- which I would argue is something that the government should be doing anyway. Why are we continuing to be discriminatory and treating non-tax-based communities and tax-based communities unfairly? I think this is the kind of thing the government should do anyway. It would reduce the cost for municipal governments who have to provide these lots. Would the Minister reconsider that? Thank you.

Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I stated earlier, in market communities where there's competition for developers and construction trades, there is room for that competitive spirit. Developing of lots is up to the municipalities to see what they can make available. It is expensive for them, but they do have the tools and avenues that they are able to do that. Non-tax-based or the general taxation area -- it should be correctly terminated as general taxation areas -- there is not the flexibility and the revenue for them to look at the high cost of just developing for small housing projects, whether it's two or three or four lots. This initiative, we feel, is moving in that area which will allow those communities to better house people who would come and work in their community or even long-time residents in their communities. Thank you.

Item 7, oral questions. Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I addressed several pertinent points to the Premier during the question period of March 16th, that was yesterday, with very little confirmation on whether he was willing to introduce a bill of intent to seek provincial status for the Northwest Territories. In review of the unedited Hansard, I feel it requires further clarification of the rights of aboriginal peoples of Canada, part II of schedule B in the Constitution Act of 1982 as it applies to aboriginal peoples in the NWT Act. So, Mr. Speaker, I'm going to ask the Justice Minister, who is the legal advisor to the Executive Council, if the Aboriginal Summit has constitutional status for negotiation on the devolution and resource revenue sharing. How is it constitutionally entrenched in the NWT Act? Those are my questions to the Minister of Justice. Thank you.

Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Mr. Speaker, that's considerably more detail than I have at my fingertips, so I'll take that question as notice.

The question has been taken as notice. Item 7, oral questions. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the honourable Member responsible for RWED brought to my attention an initiative that was called integrated arts strategy to support art and culture in the NWT. Part of this strategy is designed to bring support to the arts and craft industry. Current and immediate actions proposed in the integrated arts strategy are supported by having raw materials and equipment available for people out there. This strategy, as the honourable Member stated in his letter to me, is to be completed by early 2004. Since the time is nearing, my question for the Minister of RWED is what is the present status of this initiative and how does the Minister see this initiative being rolled out?

Minister of RWED, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank the Member for bringing this question to the House and also for raising this prior to today with me. I've had a chance to discuss this with the department and, as the Member knows, our department is working with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to roll out this integrated arts strategy, and we are optimistic that by summer we will have this integrated arts strategy and be able to articulate our vision for meeting some of the gaps that we see in current arts support and development.

Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to thank the Minister for recognizing that there are gaps in the system, because that leads me very nicely into my next question. What is the Minister's plan to ensure that the gaps are filled for supplying raw materials to the public out there who wish to continue the traditional lifestyle of the arts and craft industry? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of RWED, Mr. Bell.

Thank you. I will acknowledge that there are gaps in our support where the traditional economy is concerned, but I'd also like to highlight the fact that the Department of RWED does offer grants to small businesses. Arts and crafts businesses are absolutely eligible and do qualify and we have given grants in the past to the arts sector. In addition, we have the business development fund which provides contributions of up to $25,000 for a wide range of business needs. Arts businesses would obviously qualify, as well, here.

So I think we haven't been excluding the arts and crafts sector. Can we do more? Yes, I believe we can. The Member has proposed something to do with raw materials and I will give the Member my commitment that we'll address this in some manner in the upcoming strategy.

I would say that we're not in the position to get into the game of outright subsidies for raw materials. I think that will cause us problems. Any time you get into the free market and start to distort the pricing of these products, I don't think that probably is somewhere that we want to go. I'm not proposing that we will do that, but we will discuss the availability of raw materials. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Could the Minister provide all the Members of the Assembly the action plan that will show the steps to be taken to complete this initiative and how his department plans to maintain this strategy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of RWED, Mr. Bell.

Yes, I will do that. The action plan was submitted to and approved by Cabinet of the past government in August 2003, and then Minister Jake Ootes tabled a response in the House in October 2003. Now we're talking about the planned development of the integrated arts strategy and we will articulate the implementation of that and I'll make sure that all Members have a copy of that. Thank you.

Item 7, oral questions. Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I'd like to bring up an issue that has been talked about for too long in the past government. Today we heard a budget address that addresses us going forward in a new direction and bringing prosperity to our country. The issue that I'm talking about, Mr. Speaker, is the BIP policy. I want to ask my questions to the Minister of RWED today, but I'm sure that this issue is going to be around now for awhile and eventually I'll have some questions for the Premier on it.

Over the life of the 14th Legislative Assembly we spent probably two years going around the Northwest Territories consulting with people, looking at draft changes to the business incentive policy and the word was back that we should not change the business incentive policy. We should leave it as is. It's a government policy and the government should administer it as such. I would like to ask the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, is there another move afoot to make changes to the business incentive policy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.